Track sander



July 21, 1931. J. H. HANLoN ETAL 1,815,472

TRACK SANDER Filed June 8. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 vena/1st- 5% A CQML Mlwqw l Jly 21, 1931. i J. H. HANLoN ET AL 1,815,472

TRACK SANDER Filed Junevs. 1929 2 sheets-sheet' 2 Patented July 2l, 1931 UNITED .fffsiTA-rsfs PATENT err-ics JOHN I'IAN'LON, OF 'SlVlIEEtVVILLE, AND JOHN VHANLON;-OF MILTON, MASSACHU- SETTS, ASSIG-NORS TO V'zlIANLON LOCOMOTIVESANDER COMPANSLOF WINCHSTER,

IvASSACI-IUSETTS, A 'CEORATION'GF MASSACHUSETTS TRACK SALDER Applicationjled'June-8, 1929."Seria1-N0. 369,311.

This invention. relates to track sanders Afor locomotives andthe like, and especially to sanders of-the pneumatic type, inlwhichair under pressure iseinployed to vdraw the sand ,from va sand box or Vother supply chamber or reservoirand cause it to fall into a discharge pipe leading to the rear.

Track sandersofV this generaltype include a ittingv providing an-air passagefand a sand passage. A pairofair nozzles communicating between the air -andsandv passages, one being positioned to throw a jet ofair into the sand reservoir to loosen-the same, jand the other being positioned to throw a-jet of airlintothe outlet of the sand-,passageand draw the loosenedfsand i* by i suction through thesand passage tothe outlet leading to the i tracks.

Normally closedclean-cut openings are provided in thesand` passagefand have at Atimes f been utilizedto. gain' access to theair nozzles to clean the same'by runninga wireor the `lilieintoftlie nozzle .from the sand passage end thereof. This often has resulted inwedging particles olisand` in the nozzle and permanently clogging the saine and renden ing the sanderfinoperative'and useless until special tools could be obtained for removing the air nozzle. j

It. is an object of thepresentf-invention to overcome these difficulties by providing a construction-in which'the air nozzles are accessible readily from the air passage forcleaning or removal.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved sander in which the air nozzles are constructed and arranged to throw a light jet of air into the sand in the sand reservoir and a relatively powerful jet of air into the outlet of the sand passage so -oivcarried out in various ways Also it is to be understood tliat'the phraseology or ter- `minologyemployed herein is 'for the purpose of 'description and not' of limitation, and it is :not intended to limit the invention beyond fithe terms of the several claims hereto appended: as considered in view of the lprior art and the requirements thereof.

. The invention-Will` be more clearly Linderstood from the-*following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings;

the invention Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the sander shown in Fig. l;

Fig. ,3 is an enlargedlongitudinal section of the sander;

Fig.v 4 is a plan view of the sanderwith the closure for theair passage removed; and

F ig. 'is a? sectional viewtalren fupon the line 5-5 of'Fig. 2.

In lis shown a portion of a locomotive having ,a boiler l0, a sand dome'll and driving wheels 12 to which', is applied La track -sanderindicated A as a'whole by the letter A. The sander A includes va ittingl. providing la-sand supply chamber or reservoir ylt-`witli which communicates a sandy supply .pipe `1-7 leading trom the sandbox (not shown) `located-in the sand dome 1l. A clean-out opening 1S is `provided opposite thepipe 17 -andzisnormally closedbya removable plug 19. A narrow substantially horizontal restrictedsand passage 20 leads laterally romthe chamber lfand terminates in-a relatively large, and preferably, inclined outlet w22-to which-is connected a delivery pipef23' leadingto the rail. i @lean-out openings125aiid` 26 'are provided .intheA fitting l5 at opposite-ends adjacent the chaniberrl and the outlet 22 and are normally closed by removable plugs 27 and 28 respectively.

A-bovefthe narrow restricted sand passage 120 in the fitting lvis provided-a substantially horizontal Vair passage 30. The air passage 30 is connected with `the -sand passagesby to discharge a relatively light jet of air into the sand in the sand chamber or reservoir, While the other is arranged to discharge a jet of air into the outlet 22 with such intensity as to Withdraw sand by suction through the sand passage to the outlet 22. One of these air ports is provided with a nozzle 35 spaced from the sandy chamber and arranged to throw a jet of air upon the sand in the sand supply chamber While the other is provided with a nozzle 36 arranged to throw a jet of air into the outlet 22. The passage 37 in the nozzle 35, preferably, is about half the size of the passage 33 in the nozzle 36. An air inlet 10 is provided in the litting 15 communicating at one end with the air passage 30 and connected at the other end by a pipe +11 supplied with air under pressure from any suitable source under the control or" the usual engineei"s valve (not shown). Prelierably, the inlet end of the nozzles 35 and 3G project in Vvardly from the wall of the air passage 30. The air passage is provided vith an opening opposite the nozzles and 3G and the air inlet t() and normally is closed by a detachable cover 31 .secured upon the iitting 15, as by screws 32. A clean-out opening 33 is provided in the cover 31 and normally is closed by a removable plug 34.

It Will be understood that flow of sand through the sander to the rail is controlled by the admission of air under pressure through the pipe 1-1 and the air passage 30 by suitable operation of the engineers valve. When the supply of air is cut off, the sand in the supply chamber 1G Will assume approximately the position indicated in Fig. 3. IVhen the air turned on, a small jet is delivered by the nozzle 35 into the sand supply chamber to loosen the sand at the mouth of the restricted narroiv passage 20 and a relatively strong jet is directed through the nozzle 3G .into the outlet 22 thereby causing the loosened sand to be drawn solely by ejector action through the relatively restricted passage 30 to be mixed with air in the relatively large outlet 22 and discharged through the delivery pipe 23. By restricting the passage 2O a proper amount, it is possible to control the amount ot sand drawn from the supply chamber 16 so as to avoid the discharge of an excess to the rails. The sand drawn through the passage 20 to the outlet is thoroughly mixed with air in the relatively large outlet 22 and the mixture is conveyed through the delivery pipe 23. In this manner clogging of the sand in damp or Wet Weather is avoided. By leaving one side of the air passage 30 open and normally closing the same by the cover 31, ready access to the air nozzles 35 and 36 is possible, for removal, Without the use of special tools. In many cases it is possible to clean the nozzles 35 and 36 and the air inlet 40 by merely removing the plug 34.

We claim:

1. A track sander having a` sand supply chamber, a sand passage leading therefrom to a discharge outlet, an air passage adjacent said sand passage adapted to receive air under pressure, an air nozzle connecting said passages, an opening in said air passage opposite said nozzle, an air supply inlet opposite said opening, a detachable closure for said opening, and a normally closed clean-out opening in said closure.

2. A track sander having a sand supply chamber, a sand passage leading therefrom to a discharge outlet, an air passage adjacent said sand passage adapted to receive air under pressure, an air nozzle connecting said passages and having a small orifice arranged to throw a relatively light jet of air on to the sand in said chamber, and an airnozzle connecting said passages and ha ving a relatively large oriiice arranged to throw a jet o'f air into said outlet with an intensity to create a suction in said sand passage to draw sand from said chamber to said outlet, an opening in said air passage opposite said nozzles, an air supply inlet to Said passage opposite said opening, a detachable closure for said opening, and a normally closed clean-out opening in said closure.

3. A track sander having a sand supply chamber, a narrow substantially horizontal sand passage leading from the bottom of said chamber to a discharge outlet, an air passage adjacent said sand passage adapted to receive air under pressure, an air nozzle connecting said passages arranged to throw a jet of air across said sand passage directly into said outlet With an intensity to create su'liicient suction to draw` sand 'from said chamber to said outlet, and a relatively small air nozzle projecting from said air passage into said chamber to throw a jet of air on to the sand therein of an intensity insutlicient to move sand to said outlet.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures.

JOI-IN H. HANLON. JOHN W. HANLON. 

